Tube compressor



July 31, 1934. s T 1,968,454

TUBE COMPRES SOR I Filed June 12, 1931 INVENTOR F/Pfl/VK 5. HYATT W MM ORNE .5

Patented July 31, 1934 i STATES TUBE COMPRESSOR Frank S. Hyatt, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Brass Goods, Mfg 00., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 12, 1931, Serial No. 543,817

'4 Claims. (01. 251-45) This invention relates to clamping devices for tubes and the like by means of which a clamping pressure may be effectively exerted against the tube with little manual effort to prevent the flow of liquid through said tube.

The principal object of the invention is the production of a tube compressor of the above type and constructed with a minimum amount of metal but having characteristics permitting it to more effectively perform its intended function than other compressors of which I now have knowledge.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, the invention consisting in the novel tube compressor hereinafter more particularly described and then specified in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating a practical embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a tube compressor constructed in accordance with the invention and showing it in inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section taken through the compressor 25 showing it in clamping position.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation thereof.

5 is a plan view of the lower clamping member.

Referring in detail to the several figures of the 30 drawing:

The lower clamping member of the compressor is indicated at and it is provided with upstanding flanges 11 on both sides adjacent its ends which flanges form guides for the hose or tube 12 to be clamped and prevent displacement of the tube in the compressor. Said clamping member is also provided with ears or brackets 13 arising centrally therefrom which are provided adjacent their upper ends with bearing openings 14 and annular offsets 14' extending inwardly from the brackets coaxially with said openings. Said member 10 is also provided intermediate the flanges 11 and brackets 13 with transverse clamping ribs 15.

The upper clamping member is indicated at 16 and it comprises a plate longitudinally of concavo-convex form and having its outer or convex face provided with a longitudinally extending strengthening rib 17 and with transversely extending clamping ribs 18 adapted to co -operate with the clamping ribs on the lower claniping member during theclamping operation. Said upper clamping member is mounted on the ears or brackets 13 itbeing provided with slots 19 which receive said ears or brackets.

The cam operator for forcing the upper clamping member downwardly on the ears or brackets 13 into clamping position is indicated at 20. Said cam operator is provided at its ends with thumb pieces 21 and 22, respectively, to assist in the actuation thereof. It is also provided with pintles 23 which are journaled in the bearing openings 14 and offsets 14 of the brackets 13, whereby side play of said cam operator is limited and the pintles are prevented from becoming dislodged from said holes, as hereinafter described. Said cam operator is also provided with outwardly extending lugs 24 which act asstop' members to limit the movement of the cam operator and which are adapted to engage the edges of the ears or brackets 13 when the upper clamping member is in' clamping position or the position shown in Fig. 3.

It is thought the operation of the compressor will be obvious. To clamp the tube or hose 12 the thumb piece 22 is pressed downwardly in a clockwise direction which acts to force the upper clamping member downwardly on the ears or brackets 13 and against the tube or hose to clamp it securely in the compressor and to prevent the passage of liquid therethrough. When the tube or hose is so clamped, the lugs 24'engage the edges of the brackets 13 as has hereinbefore been described. To unclamp the hose, the thumb piece 21 is pressed downwardly in a counter-clockwise direction and the expansion of the unclamped hose then acts to force up the upper clamping member 16 on the brackets 13 and into unclamping position shown in Fig. 1. I

It will be understood that the formation of the friction rib 17 upon the convex outer face of the longitudinally curved or concavo-convex clamping plate 16 not onlyreinforces and strengthens the plate 'to prevent-it from buckling under pressure and to enable thinner sheet metal to be used in the production'of the plate, but the rib provides a friction face of reduced transverse extent for engagement by the cam lever, thus obviating liability of the plate being permanently bent or distorted under pressure of thelever and causing the bearing brackets to become twisted and get out of alinement and the lever to jam, while simultaneously reducing the amount of frictional contact between the plate and lever so as to allow the lever to be more easily and conveniently operated. The formation of the bulged portion also provides upon the lower or concaved clamping face of the plate 16 a recess 17 which is a counterpart in form of the rib and which increases the depth of the center'ofthe concavity of said face in which the adjacent side of the clamped tube may be received, whereby the concaved face coacts effectively with the plate 10 and ribs 15, 18, to more securely hold the clamped tube 12 from longitudinally slipping or shifting relatively to the clamp or the clamp from slipping on the tube. The holding efficiency of the clamp is further increased by forming the ribs 15 at points adjacent to but spaced inwardly from the ends of the plate 10 and bending the ends of the plate outwardly and downwardly at relatively divergent angles. This provides for the support of portions of the tube adjacent to their portions clamped between the flanges 15, 18, so as to avoid the formation of sharp bends in the tube or its lateral displacement from between the flanges 15, 18. By so forming the ends of the plate 10 the retaining flanges 11 may be disposed so as to extend at upward and outward relatively divergent oblique angles to the plate 10, allowing the flanges 11 to be made comparatively large and to be disposed to have a wide extent of bearing on the tube without making the bent ends of plate 10 objectionably long, so that the tube 12 may be firmly held by the flanges 11 from slipping laterally out from between the clamping members.

An important feature of my invention is the provision of the annular offsets or bosses 14 upon the bracket members 13. Heretofore it has been the practice to journal the pintles of the cam lever in plain bearing openings in the bracket members. The formation of these openings unavoidably weakens the bearing members, which are liable to become bent or distorted under pressure of the cam member, and the necessary limitation in the sizes of the openings reduces the size of the pintles which may be employed with the result that the portions of the cam lever which are subject to great strain are weaker than they should be, so that bending or' distortion of the pintles is liable to occur. In the use of plain bearing openings the sides of the cam lever are allowed to bind against the bracket members, with the result that the lever is liable to jam and the brackets to be bent or spread so that the pintles are dislodged from the bearing openings, thus causing trouble, annoyance and inconvenience in the use of the device. By providing the brackets with the annular offsets or bosses 14 i these objections are overcome, as these offsets or bosses reinforce and stiffen the brackets and increase the strength and the resistance of the brackets to distortion, and they also, for this reason, allow larger sized bearings to be used,

' with the result -that the sizes of the pintles and their strength may be correspondingly increased. The offsets also serve to house and protect the pintles from possible injury by contact with extraneous objects and act as stops preventing upward and outward pressing of the cam lever on the brackets tending to cause said brackets to spread or twist and to throw the lever bearings out of alinement and cause the lever to bind. The offsets or bosses furthermore serve as stops to limit the lateral play of the cam lever in the bearings and the amount of surface of the brackets engaged by the lever, thus reducing frictional contact of the lever with the brackets and liability of jamming of the lever. Still another and very important advantage of the offsets or bosses is that they increase the length of the bearings so that, even in the use of short pintles, the pintles will have such a long range of movement in the bearings that, their displacement therefrom can not easily occur even in the event that the brackets should spread under pressure. The long bearings have additionally the advantage of housing the pintles so that the latter will not project unduly beyond the sides of the brackets with the liability of injury to the hands or clothes of the operator.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A tube compressor comprising a lower clamping member having substantiallyparallel upstanding side brackets provided with bearing openings therein, an upper clamping member loosely mounted on said brackets and an operating cam lever having pintles extending from opposite sides thereof and journaled in the bearing openings, said lever being of a width less than the distance between the brackets and said brackets being provided with annular offsets reinforcing and stiffening said brackets and providing inwardly extending continuations of the bearing openings to house the pintles and to overcome outward and upward pressure of the pintles on the brackets whereby to prevent spreading or twisting of the brackets and liability of displacement of thepintles from the bearings and to maintain the lever out of frictional binding engagement with. the brackets.

2. A tube compressor comprising a lower clamping member having upstanding brackets, an upper clamping member loosely mounted on said rackets and having transversely arranged, inwardly projecting, longitudinally-spaced, tubeclamping portions adapted for cooperation with said lower clamping plate to clamp a tubetherebetween, said upper clamping plate also havinga central longitudinal, upwardly bulged portion between its tube-clamping portions forming upon the upper surface of the plate a combined friction and reinforcing rib of relatively less width than the plate and upon its lower face a counterpart recess, and a cam member pivotally mounted upon said brackets above the upper clamping plate and having a portion adapted to ride upon said rib and force said recessed face of the plate into nonslipping clamping engagement with a tube.

3. A tube compressor comprising a lower clamping plate having upstanding side brackets, anupper longitudinally curved clamping plate loosely mounted on said brackets and presenting an outer convex friction face and a lower concaved clamping face, said upper plate having a central longitudinal upwardly bulged portion forming a combined friction and reinforcing rib on its convex friction face of relatively less'width than said face and forming a counterpart recess on its concaved clamping face, and a cam member pivotally mounted upon said brackets above the upper clamping plate and having a portion adapted to ride upon said rib and force said recessed face of the plate into non-slipping clamping engagement with the tube.

4. A tube compressor comprising a lower clamp ing plate having substantially parallel side brackets provided with hearing openings therein and annular offsets forming stop members and inwardly extending continuations of the bearing openings, an upper clamping plate loosely mounted on said brackets and provided with an upwardly bulged portion forming a combined reinforcing and friction rib on its upper face and a counterpart recess in its lower face, and an operating cam lever having pintles extending from opposite sides thereof and engaging said bearingopenings and offsets.

FRANK S. I-IYATT. 

